Scarlets profit from Lions’ last-quarter indiscipline

A spate of penalties and a yellow card halted what was looking like a spirited Emirates Lions fightback as Scarlets powered away to a 36-13 win in their Vodacom United Championship game at Parc Y Scarlets in Llanelli on Friday night.

Make no mistake, the Scarlets seldom looked like losing the game and you would say that for much of it they knew they were able to operate in third gear.

They were full value for their comfortable 20-6 lead at half time, with the Lions being guilty of playing like a group of individuals rather than a team, whereas the hosts were organised and well drilled.

The Lions struggled to get their contestable kicking game that was good in their opening win over Zebre in the opening round to function in the same way as it had in Parma, and Scarlets forced them to play most of the first 40 minutes in their own half.

The Lions, denied a real platform, were forced to play from their own territory when they did get the ball and were punished.

But the third quarter was dominated by the Lions, who switched tactics and resolved to play more with ball in hand after half time.

They spent most of that period camped in Scarlets territory and striving hard for the try that would bring them back into the game.

The Scarlets hardly got their hands on the ball in the 20 minutes after halftime, and it could be argued that the Lions should have made better use of their opportunities.

There had been rain showers in Llanelli in the hours before the game and the slippery surface was probably what prompted the Lions to persist with their big men as the likely route to a try.

They eventually did get it right, ending a long period of good Scarlets defence when lock Ruben Schoeman drove over for the try that with Jordan Hendrikse’s conversion brought the Lions to within seven points (20-13) with 20 minutes to play.

But whereas the penalties were starting to mount against Scarlets before the try was scored, the pendulum switched in the other direction once the Lions were back in the game.

The Lions built strongly from inside their own half and it looked like they were gaining in confidence only for a big turn-over penalty to go against them. The commentators suggested it might be crucial to the result, and so it proved.

MADE A MESS OF TWO CONSECUTIVE LINEOUTS

Scarlets flyhalf Sam Costello, who enjoyed a successful night from the place-kicking tee, kicked the penalty to put his team 10 points in front, and then almost immediately Rabs Raxwane was penalised and yellow carded for a high tackle as his team scrambled on defence.

Costello kicked the penalty to make it a 13 point lead for the hosts and the contest that had been building for more than 20 minutes had pretty much been ended.

With the Lions down to 14 men, Scarlets were able to produce a long-range attack from deep inside their own half off turnover ball that sent right wing Tom Rogers in for the try, his second of the match, and a 31-13 lead.

The Welsh team then notched the bonus point try when the left wing Stef Evans burst through a few minutes from the end to complete what ultimately turned out to be a perfect night for Scarlets.

The end margin was slightly flattering, with the yellow card playing a big part in the Lions falling away at the end, but there was no denying the Scarlets’ superiority.

They looked like they had the game comfortably in hand when prop Rob Evans powered his way through just short of the point where five minutes were gone.

The Lions did have their moments even early on, and the one thing they did have was the scrumming ascendancy, not that it was always rewarded by the referee.

The Lions made an impression with their driving play and Jaco Kriel went over for a try that was disallowed, but Hendrikse, who had a good allround game, was able to kick a penalty to draw three points back after 14 minutes.

The Scarlets then all too easily created the overlap, with the Lions stepping in on defence, for Rogers’s first try.

Hendrikse kicked another penalty but Costello was able to kick two for the Scarlets to take their comfortable 14 point lead to halftime.

The Lions’ night though might have been summed up by the mess they made of two consecutive lineouts inside the Scarlets 22, an attacking position they had worked hard for and didn’t have much of in the first half.

Instead play was transferred back into the Lions’ half and almost immediately they conceded a penalty that Costello kicked for another three pointer.

You can’t suddenly become a team that executes everything perfectly overnight but that error rate is certainly something the Lions will know they need to work hard on eradicating in the weeks ahead.

SCORES:

Scarlets 36 - Tries: Rob Evans, Tom Rogers 2 and Stef Evans; Conversons: Sam Costello 2; Penalties: Sam Costello 4.

Emirates Lions 13 - Try: Ruben Schoeman, Conversion: Jordan Hendrikse; Penalties: Jordan Hendrikse 2.